Country Director - Somalia

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is seeking a Country Director to provide strategic leadership and oversight for its Somalia country program. This high-level position involves maintaining professional relationships, promoting a strong team spirit, and ensuring the program has the resources and guidance necessary for success. The Country Director represents the IRC to the Somalia Government, international donors, and networks, while driving strategic vision, program quality, and operational excellence.\n\n### Leadership and Representation\n* Lead the country program by maintaining open and professional relations with colleagues, promoting team spirit, and providing guidance and resources.\n* Develop and carry out strategies that result in strong representation with Somalia Government authorities and international donors including OFDA, DFID, ECHO, CHF, Europe Aid, UNICEF, Irish Aid, and Start Fund.\n* Ensure the IRC remains a partner of choice for major international donors and maintain a high level of understanding of donor priorities.\n* Initiate and sustain strong, mutually beneficial and authentic partnerships with Somalia organizations.\n* Play a leadership role in improving humanitarian response coordination in Somalia.\n* Lead country program collaboration with colleagues in the IRC’s HEAZ to deliver regional programming and advocacy.\n\n### Strategic Direction, Program Quality and Growth\n* Set the strategic vision and direction of the country program to serve more people with responsive and high-quality programming.\n* Align programming to the country program strategy action plan, sectoral expertise, and technical standards.\n* Ensure program quality through consistent use of rigorous assessment, design, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning systems.\n* Identify opportunities for appropriate expansion and growth of programs, supported by human resource investment.\n* Ensure timely submission of competitive, responsive, and high-quality proposals.\n\n### Safety and Security Management\n* Take primary responsibility for overall management of safety and security for the country program.\n* Oversee the management of all security issues, including emergency response.\n* Create and maintain a culture of safety and security throughout the country program through training and briefings.\n* Keep security, evacuation, and contingency plans current and accessible to all staff.\n\n### Staff Performance Management and Development\n* Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, providing clear expectations and performance objectives.\n* Oversee the coaching and development of national and international staff to build a committed and motivated workforce.\n* Pursue nationalization of senior management positions and promote staff care and well-being.\n* Undertake regular reviews of labor and salary markets in Somalia to enhance compensation competitiveness.\n\n### Stewardship and Operational Management\n* Drive operational excellence to achieve optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all functions.\n* Oversee the utilization of financial and operational policies to deliver compliance with IRC and donor requirements.\n* Provide timely and effective oversight of the Somalia country program’s financial position and budget monitoring.\n\n### Job Requirements\n* Graduate degree in a relevant field.\n* At least 10 years of progressive international work experience, including leadership at the Country Director level of multi-site, multi-sectoral operations.\n* Experience working in conflict/post-conflict or disaster response situations.\n* Professional fluency in written and spoken English.\n* Strong leadership abilities and interpersonal skills with the ability to deploy communications effectively.\n\n### Technical and Managerial Competencies\n* Experience managing security in complex and rapidly changing contexts.\n* Confirmed ability to negotiate and work with partner organizations.\n* Strong budget and fiscal oversight capacities.\n* Extensive representation and fundraising success with international donors.\n* Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite and file-sharing protocols like Dropbox or SharePoint.\n* Experience building personal networks at a senior level to secure new organizational opportunities.\n\n### How to Apply\nInterested and qualified candidates should apply online through the International Rescue Committee's career portal. Please visit International Rescue Committee on theirc.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com to submit your application.